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Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Efficient Synthesis of All-Carbon Quaternary Centers via the Conjugate Addition of Functionalized Monoorganozinc Bromides
Published on: May 26, 2019
High-Performance Quinoline-Malononitrile Core as a Building Block for the Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of AIEgens
Zhiqian Guo1, Chenxu Yan1, Wei-Hong Zhu1
1Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Joint International Research Laboratory of Precision Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Feringa Nobel Prize Scientist Joint Research Center, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Functional Materials Chemistry, Institute of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237, China.
Abstract:
In vivo fluorescent monitoring of physiological processes with high-fidelity is essential in disease diagnosis and biological research, but faces extreme challenges due to aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) and short-wavelength fluorescence. The development of high-performance and long-wavelength aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorophores is in high demand for precise optical bioimaging. The chromophore quinoline-malononitrile (QM) has recently emerged as a new class of AIE building block that possesses several notable features, such as red to near-infrared (NIR) emission, high brightness, marked photostability, and good biocompatibility. In this minireview, we summarize some recent advances of our established AIE building block of QM, focusing on the AIE mechanism, regulation of emission wavelength and morphology, the facile scale-up and fast preparation for AIE nanoparticles, as well as potential biomedical imaging applications.
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